Early National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projections Saturday showed Tropical Storm Alex heading south toward Mexico and avoiding the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, where it could delay cleanup operations by some two weeks.

But the same agency predicted that the northern edge of the main oil slick would push toward barrier islands and coasts from western Mississippi to the Florida-Alabama line, possibly beaching more oil across Alabama’s southernmost shores today and Monday.

Meanwhile, officials reported finding more than 3,000 pounds of oil on the western end of Dauphin Island late Friday and scattered oil on Alabama shores Saturday.